New research: Canadians feel anxious about the future of the country and crave competent and ethical institutions
The 2020 Edelman Trust Barometer reveals Canadian trust is down across the key institutions of media, government, business and NGOs despite rising stock markets and low unemployment numbers
TORONTO, Feb. 19, 2020 /CNW/ - The 2020 Edelman Trust Barometer reveals that trust in government, business, media and NGOs is down over the previous year. At a time when more than three quarters of Canadian employees fear they will lose their job due to a variety of factors like technological change, a looming recession and jobs being moved overseas– Canadians don't have confidence in their leaders to address the challenge.
Canadians did not find one institution to be both competent and ethical – a combination of attributes they see as necessary to earn the trust of the public, as 62 per cent of Canadians feel the pace of change in technology is moving too fast. Despite high employment rates, Canadians are deeply concerned about their economic future. Only 1 in 3 Canadians believe they and their families will be better off in five years' time.
"The characteristics that made for a trusted institution in the past are not the ones that make a trusted institution today," says Lisa Kimmel, president and CEO, Edelman Canada and Latin America. "Canadians want leaders of institutions to look beyond shareholders to consider stakeholders like employees. Ultimately, the battle for trust hinges on integrity, dependability and purpose. Institutions must demonstrate an ability not only to perform competently but also to do so ethically, by taking concrete action to tackle the right issues, in the right way."
The trust gap between the informed public and the mass population dropped from a high of 20 points in 2019 to 16 points in 2020, signaling continued polarization in the system. The closing gap is attributed to a notable decrease in trust of the informed public, aged 25-64 and defined as those who are college-educated, in the top quarter for household income in their age group, and who regularly consume or engage with news. This decline is notable against the backdrop of continued uncertainty in Canada around the economy and trade with both the United States and China.
The country's current leaders – CEOs and government – may not be the solution, as nearly two in three Canadians do not have confidence that these leaders will successfully address the country's challenges. There is also uncertainty about where to turn to for quality information, with half of Canadians believing that the media they use is contaminated with untrustworthy information and a staggering seventy-one per cent worrying about fake news being used as a weapon.
Overall, Canadians are yearning for leadership. In two years, the percent of Canadians saying company CEOs should take the lead on change has increased from 68 per cent in 2018 to 80 per cent in 2020.
For full results and to watch the launch event live at 12:00 p.m. EST on February 19th, visit https://www.edelman.ca/trust-barometer/trust-barometer-2020.
About Edelman
Edelman is a leading global communications firm that partners with many of the world's largest and emerging businesses and organizations, helping them evolve, promote and protect their brands and reputations. Among its many honours, the firm was awarded a Cannes Lion in 2019, named a top three Strategy Magazine PR Agency of the Year for three consecutive years and "Best Place to work" for eight consecutive years by Glassdoor. Edelman owns specialty firms Edelman Intelligence (research) and United Entertainment Group (entertainment, sports, lifestyle).
About the 2020 Edelman Trust Barometer
The 2020 Edelman Trust Barometer is the firm's 20th annual trust and credibility survey. The survey was powered by research firm Edelman Intelligence and consisted of a 30-minute online survey of n=1,500 Canadians nationally representative and weighted to reflect gender, age, and region distributions and was conducted between October 19 and November 18, 2019. Edelman Canada also undertook a pre and post Federal Election supplemental survey between October 11-19 and November 18-30.
The Edelman Trust Barometer considers three populations: The Informed Public (aged 25-64, college-educated, in the top quarter for household income in their age group, and who engage with the news on business and public policy); the Mass Population (which accounts for everyone excluding the Informed Public); and the General Population, which refers to all those surveyed. The 2020 Edelman Trust Barometer online survey sampled more than 34,000 respondents, including 1,500 Canadians.
SOURCE Edelman Public Relations Worldwide
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